Survey: Housing Came out on the Other Side—Mortgage Market, Not So Much

Posted on July 15th, 2017. Original content from RIS Media.

Most homeowners are content with the current status of the housing market, believing not only that they made a smart choice by owning, but also that conditions in their area have gotten better since the recession, according to the results of a new survey.

Ninety-one percent of homeowners and 83 percent of renters surveyed recently by Digital Risk perceive homeownership as “a good investment,” with 87 percent of homeowners seeing their home’s value hold or rise—some more than 20 percent.

Homeowners believe there is room for improvement, however, when it comes to obtaining a mortgage. Although 75 percent of those surveyed report that they supported “efforts over the past decade to make the mortgage process safer and more consumer-friendly,” just 22 percent of homeowners and 13 percent of renters think progress has been made.

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“There’s no question that the housing sector continues to be a major driver of growth and recovery in the U.S. economy,” says Jeff Taylor, co-founder and managing director of Digital Risk. “It’s important to remember how far we’ve come in a decade. The fact that the American Dream of owning a home is once again considered a smart investment suggests the housing market has years of strong performance ahead of it—provided that more borrowers clearly understand the criteria and ‘pathway’ to obtaining a mortgage.”

“It’s no secret that Americans support a healthy housing market with clear rules and procedures,” says Rose Bogan, senior vice president of Governance, Risk and Compliance at Digital Risk. “Still, lenders and borrowers alike recognize that consumer protections can be accomplished in a more straightforward, efficient way. The challenge moving forward is for lenders to smartly use technology and procedures to adapt to shifting regulatory requirements as seamlessly as possible.”